Built to Last (6 page)

The way the firelight shone in his eyes made her shudder with delight. Even in spontaneity, he was romantic. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming all of this, but at the same time, if she was she didn’t want to wake up just yet. She joined him on the blanket in front of the fire. He just looked at her in the firelight with hunger in his eyes. She felt that look to the core of her being and gave him a sultry look of her own. She reached over and grabbed him by the waistline of his jeans pulling him toward her on the blanket. “These are in the way.”

He chuckled. It was a low, very masculine sound that sent shivers through her body. He stood and removed them for her, standing before her complete in all his glory. And what a sight it was. The firelight played over his body turning him into a golden god before her. She sighed and reached for him once again, her hands exploring all of him. The roughness of his thighs tickled her palms and her fingers mapped his body. She leaned up and kissed the soft spot at top of the crease of his thigh. It felt like silk on her lips. He groaned stilling her hands with his own. “Slow down. I want to savor this.”

She let him take over touching, exploring her body with his hands. He rolled her onto her stomach, kissing each of her shoulder blades and tasting her skin down to her bra. He released the clasp of her bra for the second time that evening and continued to kiss her spine. Each time his tongue would slip over her for a fraction of a second and she would draw in a sharp breath from the pleasure it created. His fingers trailed over her bottom to the thighs leaving scintillating trails of fire in their wake. She was panting with need as he stripped her of her panties but still he took his time kissing her ankles, knees and up her thighs. He rolled her over onto her back once again now naked. Then he kissed her again, this time it was tender and soft, a teasing kiss that held promises. He gently massaged each of her breasts with his hands, barely grazing the tips of her nipples with his fingers. He, in turn, took each one into his mouth, drawing them into tight little buds of pure sensation. His kisses took him down her belly to her hips where he nipped and teased the flesh with his tongue and teeth. Then he moved lower still. He took her very core in his mouth and she cried out sliding her hands into his hair.

“Cade…” she whimpered as he did things to her she had never experienced before. Her head was spinning, her thoughts were scattered to the wind, and she could barely breathe when it all exploded into a mess of light and heat. He held her in his arms while her orgasm subsided and she suddenly became shy. No man had touched her like that before. It had been incredible and she told him so.

“We’ve only just begun,” he whispered. He took her breast into his mouth again teasing it with his tongue as he moved over her. Her body was slower to respond this time. It felt delicious and hot. A much deeper longing was curling in her belly as he slid into her. It was better than she had dreamt to would be. He moved in a slow rhythm, building the fires inside her to greater heights. She clung to him feeling like her whole world began and ended with him. Everything in her world narrowed onto Cade and how he was making her feel. Every touch, every kiss, every sigh and moan filled her until there was nothing else but the longing. He kissed her over and over again until she was panting for release, meeting each one of his thrusts with her hips. He called her name softly as he brought them both to the peak of ecstasy.

Cade gently tucked Noelle into his side with her head resting on his shoulder listening to her breathing return to normal. He looked down at her feeling a fondness developing deep down in his heart. She looked stunning like this, laying on his shoulder with the glow of their love making coloring her face.

Noelle felt more relaxed than she had in a very long time. As she lay on Cade’s shoulder, she let herself think about what it might be like to be with him like this all the time. Doubt clouded her mind though as she thought about everything she hadn’t accomplished in her life. Cade was a businessman. He ran his own business, had his own house, and paid his own bills. She on the other hand had a job that ended in a couple weeks and an apartment she rented. They were in completely different places in their lives. A relationship was out of the question, but sex… well, she didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t enjoy each other like this from time to time. She knew the first thing she needed to do was go home. If she stayed, it would become too easy to become more attached to him than she already was. She sat up and reached for her clothing.

“I should go; you have work in the morning.”

“You could stay.”

“I need to be up early as well. This was well… this was amazing. I had a really good time with you tonight.”

“Me too, so why am I sensing a ‘but’ coming up.” He asked pulling his jeans back on.

“I’m not
in a good place to start a relationship right now. I’d like to keep things casual between us. I like spending time with you Cade and I wouldn’t mind doing it again as long as that’s clear.”

“
Yeah I understand,” he answered, doing his best to not feel slighted.

She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss him tenderly. “Good, ‘because I’m going to want more of this.” She kissed him again, then stood and walked to the door. There she kissed him one last time, “Call me,” she demanded.

“I will,” he grinned down at her. “You can count on it.”

“And don’t let a whole week go by this time either,” she growled sexily at him as she walked toward her car.

The sound made his body respond in appreciation once more. He groaned softly to himself and closed the door behind her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Four days had passed since she had babysat for Del. Four days since she had made love with Cade. He’d kept his promise and called her twice since that night. He worked a six-day workweek most weeks when a deadline wasn’t looming and seven when it was. She had started the Realty Temp job and found it interesting enough though not something she would want to do for the rest of her life. The people were nice though. The office was a crazily busy place and the phones rarely stopped ringing long enough for her to get other business done. She was filling in while they interviewed for long term employees as the last woman to sit in this chair had retired a couple weeks before. It was afternoon and the majority of the Realtors were out showing houses for the rest of the evening so she had a few minutes to think between phone calls. She heard her cell phone rattle in her purse, and snagged it out, looking at the Caller ID.

“Hey Griffin.”

“Are you busy?”

“Not at the moment though I am still at work for another hour at least. What’s up?”

“ I was just thinking about you today. Would you be interested in going out tonight? A friend of mine is playing for an open mic night and I thought it might be fun if we went together.”

Noelle thought about the last time they had gone out together. She had been meaning to talk to Griffin about the kiss. In truth, she had been avoiding it, knowing that it was going to be an awkward topic to bring up, and not wanting to hurt Griffin’s feelings. Better to rip the bandage off then take it one hair at a time. Better also in person so she knew he understood.

“I suppose I could meet you there,” she answered. “What’s the address?”

Griffin gave her directions and let her go. She really did think he was a nice guy just not her type. She really hoped he understood and the kiss had just been because they had both been drinking the other night. Suddenly her stomach was full of knots. Her cell rang again.

“What did you forget?” she asked without looking, thinking it was Griffin calling her back.

“Nothing that I am aware of,” Cade answered. She could hear his smile through the phone and smiled in return.

“Hey there,” she replied in a softer tone.

Cade loved that sound. It was sexy as hell and made him think things he shouldn’t think in public. He looked around the site to see if anyone was paying attention to him and then moved more out of earshot. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he admitted, “Can I see you tonight?”

“Tonight?” her stomach fluttered. “I’d really love to Cade but I just promised to go see some open mic thing was a friend.” Her disappointment was heavy.

“A friend huh?” he felt a stab of jealousy in his chest and tried not to let it color his voice. “Any chance I could tag along?”

“I don’t think you’d enjoy it. Maybe I could come by your place afterward?” she suggested then realized she had just offered to come over for sex. She blushed from head to toe and was glad he couldn’t see it. My, did he ever make her feel brazen.

“A late dinner then, at my place?” Flashes of Noelle under him on the floor in front of his fireplace filled his head and made his jeans feel too tight suddenly.

“I don’t know how long I will be, but I’ll call you before I leave okay?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. I’m looking forward to it ‘Elle.”

If Noelle smiled any harder, she felt her face would split in two. She heart skipped when he used her nickname. It sounded so incredibly sexy when he said it. How was that possible? “Me too.”

She hit the end button and stared at her phone for several minutes before putting it back into her purse. The phone on the desk in front of her jarred her back to reality. She couldn’t wait to get off of work now.

***

The little club was busier than Noelle had expected. She was glad she’d chosen an outfit that was sexy but casual. Her black skirt came to her knees. It was made of a soft material that swished silkily when she walked. Her top was made of the same kind of material n a rich burgundy (her favorite color). It hung off one shoulder leaving just a thin strap to hold it up and covered the other. She had pulled her hair up liking the way it made her neck look longer and accentuated her jawline. All of her five foot four frame stood on heels. Something she only wore when she wanted to feel sexy. Stilettos made her feel naughty, and for Cade she wanted to feel naughty.

When Griffin appeared next to her at the bar, she jumped a little and laughed. Her nerves were feeling shot from the excitement of the evening. Here she was with him but longing for their time to end so she could go be with Cade, his boss. She briefly wondered if one knew about the other. This was confusing enough for her without adding trouble at Cade’s workplace.

“You look amazing tonight. Here,” Griffin half-shouted over the music and near her ear so she could hear him and handed her an open bottle of beer.

“Thank you,” she replied, took her drink from him and walked to the table she had chosen in the back. They sat and listened for a bit, the sound of the crowd and the live music making conversation nearly impossible. The group that was playing ended their set and packed up, giving Noelle a chance to speak with Griffin. The longer she was here, the less she wanted to be and that just wasn’t fair to him. “When does your friend play?” she asked taking a sip of her beer.

Griffin shrugged, “I haven’t seen him yet so probably not until later.” Before she could catch herself, she frowned. “Why?”

“I just have to work in the morning. The office is really busy and I don’t want to be overtired.” It was a boldface lie, but it wasn’t as if she could tell him she had to get to a date. He nodded and looked disappointed.

“I’m sure he’ll be up soon.”

“Is there a bathroom around here?” she asked and he pointed to a back corner. “I’ll be right back. Get me another one of these would you?” She asked pointing to her beer. Taking her purse, she walked off in the direction he pointed.

The bathroom was quite a bit quieter, as she had hoped. She had felt her cell buzz in her purse and wanted to check who had called. Two missed calls it read. One call from Del, whom she would call back later and one call from Cade. She hit send on his number and waited breathlessly for him to pick up hoping that he wasn’t cancelling on her.

“Hi,” he answered.

“Hey,” she replied in return. How could such short little words hold so much promise? “I’ll be another hour I’d guess.” Another woman entered the bathroom and walked into a stall, making Noelle feel self-conscious about talking on the phone.

“Just wanted to know if you had any allergies, I realized I am making you dinner and I haven’t a clue what you don’t eat.” He sounded like he was rushing around the kitchen as he talked to her all out of breath and nervous. More like the teenager, she had crushed on. Her heart squeezed in her chest making the smile on her face wider.

“Strawberries, I can’t eat strawberries. If you avoid those, then anything else will be fine. I need to go. I’ll see you in a little while.”

Noelle closed her phone and put it back in her purse. She returned to the table and Griffin smiled up at her from his seat. “Looks like I can get you into bed at a decent hour after all. Vincent is up next.”

She chose to ignore the obvious innuendo and gave him a big smile. She took a swig off the top of the new bottle of beer that had replaced the old one. The group that was singing now was two college girls with a guitar. The song sounded familiar and they weren’t half-bad. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Griffin looking at her with an intensity that put her off.

“I hope we have some time to talk outside all of this noise.” Noelle once again lifted her voice so he’d hear her. He nodded and watched the girls on stage. She was starting to feel hot. There were too many people in the room, no doubt, and because it was winter, they had the outside doors closed. She was wishing she had picked a table not so much in the middle of the row so she could stand nearer the door. She leaned the cool beer against her forehead that felt better. She had a decent tolerance for alcohol; her body metabolized it pretty fast. With the excitement of the upcoming events of the evening and her nerves, she wanted to make sure she would be clear-headed before she climbed back into the car for the night. So, she downed her beer while it was still cold and decided it was water for the rest of the evening.

“Want another?” Griffin asked and she shook her head at him. The crowd broke into applause for the two women and then it was Griffin’s friend’s turn.

The man on stage introduced himself and sat on a stool with his guitar in hand. Noelle was having trouble making out the words. How long had she been here? She looked at her watch. Surely two beers weren’t effecting her this much? The man on stage began playing and she looked over at Griffin. She felt so hot. “I need to get some air.”

“Just a couple minutes baby,” he called back to her. Since when was she okay with him calling her Baby?

“I’m sorry Griffin; I’m just too hot I think. I probably should have eaten before coming. I can still listen from the doorway.”

Griffin looked at her and down at the empty beer bottle in front of her. “You never used to be such a light weight.”

“I know...” Noelle answered scooting out the chair she was sitting on and pushing herself up to stand. She staggered a little as she gained her feet.

“Whoa!” Griffin stood and steadied her. “Maybe you're right, you do need some air.” He led her toward the exit with his arm around her waist. “How many beers did you have before I got here?” he asked.

Noelle looked up at him seeing he was concerned. “You gave me my first one so only two total.”

“I should take you home,” Griffin stated firmly.

“No, no, I’m feeling better already.” Noelle shook her head at him. The cold early March air did seem to be helping clear her head a little. She was feeling embarrassed now for making a scene. “I’m sorry; I’m m
aking you miss your friend playing.”

“It’s okay. It was more of an excuse to invite you out. I’ve heard him play before today. Are you sure you are all right? I really feel like I ought to take you home myself instead of let you drive.”

“Yeah, I’m fine now” even though her head was still swimming. Griffin was rubbing her back in a gesture than was a little too friendly for her comfort. “I think we should talk a bit.”

“Sure,” Griffin replied, “whatever you need.”

“Griffin, you know I have always enjoyed your company. You make me laugh and let me be myself which is sometimes hard for me.”

“I know, I feel the same way about you Noelle,” he interrupted. “I have been thinking about us a lot lately.”

“When you kissed me the other night...Griffin I should have said something then, but you caught me off guard. I’m not into you that way. Don’t get me wrong, I think you are handsome and I love you, but like family, Griffin. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression that my feelings were anything else. Even if my feelings were to change toward you, I’m just not in a place where I want to be in a relationship right now. I took care of my Mom for six years and completely lost myself in the process. I need to rediscover who I am and where I want to be before I get involved again. You can understand that, right?”

The stricken look on Griffin’s face was heart rending. She had really hoped that he’d laugh at her for being melodramatic and tell her she was wrong. Seeing his face, she knew that she could very possibly lose him as a friend too and that hurt. They stood in silence for several moments. Noelle was hoping he would say something, anything to reassure her that he would still be her friend. She had so few of them and didn’t want to lose the ones she had.

“I should go.” She said finally, when he hadn’t replied to her.

“No, it’s okay Noelle. I understand. I mean I hoped but...well you can’t win them all, right?”

His bravado made her smile a little. “I would like to still be your friend, but I understand if that’s not easy right now, Griffin. You have always been such a good friend to me.”

He looked at her long and hard. “I’d like that too.”

“I’ll give you a call okay? But I’m going to go Griffin. Take care of yourself.”

***

Cade checked the clock again. It had been an hour and a half since he’d talked to Noelle and the anticipation of their evening together had him jumping every time he heard a car pass on the street. He didn’t want to seem too eager. Dinner was finished and sitting in the kitchen staying warm. He had lit the candles around the room and made sure everything was picked up throughout the house. He’d even come home early from work to take care of everything. Another car passed and he walked to the window to look out feeling anxious and disappointed that it wasn’t her car. It was starting to snow. He decided to flip on the TV to occupy his mind while he waited. The news was on, broadcasting a winter storm watch for the entire valley. Blizzard like conditions was the forecast for the next couple of days. Well, that certainly took his mind off things. His crew wouldn’t be able to get to work in weather of this magnitude. He swore under his breath and watched the seven day forecast.